


Unlocked Secrets

by ThereWasADreamer



Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: Drama, F/F, Fluff, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-22
Updated: 2020-07-22
Packaged: 2021-03-05 00:41:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,265
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25445557
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThereWasADreamer/pseuds/ThereWasADreamer
Summary: What happens when two people are in love with each other but don't want to admit it? One night out can change a lot.
Relationships: Jennifer "JJ" Jareau & Emily Prentiss, Jennifer "JJ" Jareau and Emily Prentiss, Jennifer "JJ" Jareau/Emily Prentiss
Comments: 2
Kudos: 65





	Unlocked Secrets

„Don’t look at me like that.“, Jennifer Jareau left the lift and the other woman behind.

“Hey! Come on, JJ! Is it really so shocking for you?”, Emily Prentiss almost had trouble keeping up with the younger blonde.

“You just don’t get it, right?”, JJ glared at the brunette and had to keep her voice down. She then shook her head and entered the bullpen of the BAU through the double glass door. She could hear the sigh beside her as if Emily had breathed outright against her ear. Whatever the other woman wanted to say, her words died on her lips.

Somehow JJ was glad to be at work and get her mind taken off by files and victims and serial killers. She was in such a bad mood and it wasn’t just because she had, again, a hangover. She was pure angry and disappointed at her teammate and friend. 

They had such an awesome night together until Emily decided to steel herself away with another woman. It was not the problem that she found out that Emily apparently swims for the same team. It was plain and simple the how. 

After everyone else had their own plans, JJ and Emily decided to go out without the others and because it was just them, they decided to try out a new bar. The evening was great so far and JJ enjoyed that it was only the two of them. Moments like these were too rare because everyone had their own lives or they usually went out altogether or the job was calling and they had to fly across the country. 

JJ liked the company of her friend and undivided attention. Emily was smart and humorous. She was independent, could stand her ground and she directly spoke out what she thought. She was strong and could be vulnerable at the same time, even though the brunette would never admit or show it. She made her laugh, she made her feel good and her opinions mattered to JJ more than others. Emily became such a good friend in a very short time, always had her back and she would never risk losing that friendship. 

That’s why she ignored the tiny butterflies in her tummy or how the brunette’s presence made her very aware of herself or how her heart jumped when the blonde made the other woman smile. Well, at least she tried to ignore those feelings and pushed them away. That’s what it felt like to have found your best friend, your soul mate, right? Sure it wasn’t more. It couldn’t be more. 

Sitting next to each other at the bar, so close that their elbows and knees were touching, didn’t make it easier to ignore her feelings. But living in denial, running away from those feelings always was her special talent. Maybe that was the reason why she drank something harder instead of beer. Those deep brown eyes which were looking at her, the bright smile and the aura that surrounded Emily cast a spell over her. 

Suddenly the atmosphere changed when another woman sat on the free chair next to them. The stranger occasionally glanced over and after a while, she started flirting with Emily. It didn’t take long and the two women headed to the dance floor and JJ sat alone at the bar, having one drink after the other. And after a while, Emily excused herself, made sure that the blonde was okay, said goodbye and left the bar with the said strange woman. 

The whole day went on like this: Whether both agents ignored the other, they glared daggers at each other or they sarcastically commented whatever the other one was saying when JJ was outside of her office. Their behavior didn’t go unnoticed by the other team members, of course. There was something terribly wrong with these two and no one had to be a profiler to see this. 

The mood of the special agent and the media liaison affected the whole team by the end of the day. They hadn’t a new case, files piled up on top of each other, everyone was annoyed and ready to head home. And still, their two friends obviously were in a fight and they just couldn’t leave like that. Something happened the day before and they were all on one page. Something was going on between the two agents, something which went far between being just friends.

When Emily headed to the bathroom, the rest of the team plotted a plan. As soon as she came back Morgan looked up and held a staple of files in his hand. “Hey, as you’re already standing, princess, could you take them to JJ?”

“Are you serious?”, Emily pressed her teeth together and glared at the man who she just passed. 

“Please?”, He tried again and looked at her with a pleading expression in his eyes. Taking a deep breath the brunette took the files without another word and turned on her heels to make her way to the blonde media liaison. 

She was so not up for all of this. Filling out the files and writing reports was a part of her job which she hated the most. She needed the field action and profiling. She needed something to do.

Today though was extra hard. She knew she pissed off JJ last night. She couldn’t just tell exactly why because said woman didn’t talk with her. To be honest, it wasn’t very nice to leave her alone but she realized her mistake when it was already too late. If she could turn back the time, she would do it instantly. But she couldn’t and felt sorry for how the evening ended.

After she left the bar with the red-haired woman, they took a cab. She couldn’t even remember her name anymore. Several minutes later both women arrived at the red-haired woman’s apartment. They made out as soon as they closed the door behind them but before it could’ve gone deeper, Emily realized that this was not what she wanted.

She ended that passionate kiss and tried to explain herself. She tried to say sorry but failed miserably. So she left and went home alone without the fulfilled satisfaction.

Yes, this was a big mistake she made, driven by her emotions and by her impulsive side. She wanted to forget that part of hers. She wanted to forget that screaming voice inside her mind. She wanted to forget the feelings which she wasn’t allowed to have, which she didn’t allow herself to have. And now she had to live with the consequences.

Knocking on the media liaison’s door, Emily waited until she could hear the faint, soft voice. The brunette opened the wooden door and entered JJ’s office. “Hey, I have some files here for you.”, She held out the paper to the blonde who was sitting behind her desk. Her eyes cast over the slender form, the desk itself, which was quite a mess, and the nameplate. Jennifer Jareau stood there in neat letters.

“Thanks.”, JJ answered without looking up from whatever she wrote into her laptop. She was too aware of how the other woman stood in her office but she was still too mad and only answered with her controlled voice: “Just put them where you want.”

“JJ, I…”, Emily put the files down at the top of a stack when she suddenly heard a strange noise. She turned around when JJ looked up but before she could reach the door, they heard a click. 

“Are you serious?”, She mumbled and tried to open the door. She pulled, turned and pulled again.

“Emily?”, the blonde asked alarmed. “That’s not funny!”

“Oh, do you think I joke around?”, Emily shot a short glare at her.

The younger blonde got up and walked over to where the brunette stood. She knocked against the door. “Hello? Are you serious? Let us out!” 

“I’m sorry but I can’t do that.”, A male voice was heard from the other side of the door and JJ and Emily shared a fast glance at each other. “Whatever it is that happened between you two, you have to figure it out.”

“Spence? Come on! Let us out! You can’t do that!”, JJ yelled through the door but the young man on the other side was already gone.

Emily let the doorknob go while JJ still needed time to process what just had happened. She stepped back with a sigh and shrugged. “Seems like, we really have to sort things out before they open the door again.”

JJ stood there and was still refusing to turn around. Sure they had to talk, they had to figure this out. After all, they were a team and even if JJ wasn’t at the front line during their cases, they still had to work hand in hand.

“Look, I’m sorry!”, Emily began and studied the woman who still hadn’t turned around. “I..”

“You know Emily, out of all people I’ve never thought you’d be like this.”, JJ interrupted and spun around. Her eyes always displayed her feelings. She wasn’t like other people, like Emily, who could cloud them so no one was able to find out what was going on inside of her. 

What Emile saw was heartbreaking. The hurt in those ice blue depths almost screamed at her, bored into her heart like a knife. She sucked her bottom lip between her teeth and bit down. 

“I don’t mind you being a lesbian or bisexual but you could have told me. We are friends, aren’t we?” the brunette nodded and looked down for a moment before her brown orbs found those blue ones again. 

“But that wasn’t even the worst.”, the blonde walked to her desk. It was a miracle but she still managed to find a small, free place and sit down. “You left me there only to go home with another woman. And for what, for a one night stand!”

“JJ, listen! I..”, Emily tried again and took a step forward. She really messed it up and gosh, how much she just wanted to make it all better. But how could she explain what was going on anyway when she didn’t even try to come to terms with herself?

“No, Emily! You listen! It was a wonderful evening and I really enjoyed it. We finally had a free evening and it was just us without the gang. How rare is it? I thought we had fun and suddenly you started to flirt with this woman. Do you know what a shit feeling this is? Do you know what the other people might have thought about us? I sat there all alone for the rest of the evening, seeing you dancing, seeing you flirting with someone else and then you left the bar. Thank you for even checking on me before you drove god knows where to, just to have a quick f…”

The other woman stood there and looked at the blonde. She let her talk, she let her allow to rant and ramble and to get all of her thoughts and feelings out. Of course, they promised each other never to profile their teammates but in this case, Emily just couldn’t help. And while JJ continued with her tirade, something snapped in the older profiler.

Emily took the few steps which led her to her blonde friend and silenced her by kissing her on the mouth. Her hands cupped JJ’s cheeks. She could feel the soft skin under her palms, the cheekbones under her fingertips and the few tresses which tickled the back of her hands. But mostly she could feel those soft lips against hers and it made her feel alive. 

JJ didn’t know what was happening. Suddenly the older woman lunged forward and before she could react, she was kissed by the brunette. She was still mad and angry and she wanted to push Emily away but it felt as if her brain shut down every movement. 

She could smell a hint of Emily’s perfume. She felt those wonderful lips moving against hers and that’s when she slowly kissed back after a few seconds. It wasn’t passionate or fierce but it was soft and slow and it made her heart jump. Her hands found their way to the brunette’s hip because she needed something, someone, to hold onto. 

As fast as it started, it also ended the same way. With a quiet sigh, Emily broke the kiss and rested her forehead against the other woman. “Will you listen to me now?”, She asked and her voice wasn’t more than a whisper. She opened her eyes only to look into a much darker blue one. She wondered if JJ was aware of how that one kiss affected her.

So they talked and Emily explained why she left the bar with another woman but also why nothing much happened between them. She finally explained to JJ that she’s a lesbian and that she always was drawn to the blonde since the day she started at the BAU.

JJ had a lot to explain too. She wasn’t sure if she was bisexual for a long time and had trouble accepting it. She was jealous that night before. That was the reason why she felt hurt. Her feelings for the brunette went deeper than she wanted to admit first but in the end, she was glad that Emily took the first step by kissing her.

For once her office saw love and smile and laughter instead of dead, blood and killers.


End file.
